Pan Roasted Chicken & Vegetables

This dish is great because it's quick and allows for very minimal clean up and dishes.


You'll need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound of potatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 pound baby carrots, cut into thirds
1 large onion, cut into wedges
2 (4 oz) cans sliced mushrooms, drained
1 (10 oz) bag fresh baby spinach (remove stems)
5 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons black pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 large roasting pan


Directions:

In large roasting pan, combine potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Toss to coat evenly in the oil. Roast veggies at 475 degrees for 25 minutes.

Gently stir veggies so they don't stick. Lightly salt and pepper chicken and add to roasting pan, along with mushrooms. Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Once chicken is done, place spinach over the mixture and return to the oven for 5-6 more minutes, or until spinach wilts.


Remove from oven and place chicken in a frying pan on the stove for 5 minutes on each side, to achieve a crisp, golden brown exterior. Toss veggies, plate with chicken, and serve.














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Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Like all of my recipes, this one is very versatile - you can add more of any ingredient, leave things out, or even add additional items to it (like cherry tomatos, sun dried tomatoes, chickpeas, or artichoke hearts). It's really up to you. It's also quick and easy and goes great with almost any meal as a side dish. I normally make it with grilled chicken. It's light, but very filling and tastes even better the next day as leftovers.


You'll need: 
1 (1 lb) package orzo pasta
2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups pre-washed baby spinach
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 jar kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1-2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons pepper
salt to taste*


Directions:
Cook orzo as directed on package, drain.
Heat oil in saucepan or skillet on medium and add onion and garlic, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn. Once the onion is cooked (translucent in color), stir in orzo, kalamata olives, and balsamic dressing until entire mixture is hot. Add spinach - it's important to put the spinach in last since it doesn't take very long to cook and you don't want it to get too soggy. Add feta and pepper, stir and serve.

* Keep in mind kalamata olives are salty, so taste before adding additional salt to salad.

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Nacho-rific Stuffed Chicken

I found this awesome recipe on Food Network and decided to give it a try. I did deviate from it somewhat, with the cheese choices and taco sauce. It was quick and effortless, yet delicious, and I liked that the website gave healthy product recommendations for ingredients.


You'll need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 1/3 inches thick)
1/2 cup refried beans
4 wedges Pepper Jack cheese (or cheese of choice)
1/4 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese (or cheese of choice)
1 teaspoon dry taco seasoning mix
1/4 cup of your favorite salsa
Salt and pepper, to taste
About 16 Tortilla chips, crushed
Sour cream, optional
Toothpicks


Filling: combine beans, cheese wedges, and shredded cheese in bowl and set aside.


Directions:
Crush tortilla chips by hand in a sealable plastic bag and add taco seasoning, set aside.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.


Place chicken breasts on a clean, dry surface, and season with salt and pepper.  Spoon filling onto the centers, dividing it evenly among all 4. Carefully roll each chicken breast up over the filling and secure with toothpicks (it's okay if some of the filling comes out the sides). Transfer to baking sheet. 


Cover each chicken breast with 1 tablespoon of salsa, coating evenly, and top with tortilla chip crumb mixture.


Cover baking sheet with foil and bake in oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.


Remove from oven and let cool. Top with sour cream, if desired.

Photo courtesy of Food Network.com

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San Francisco Pork Chops

I got this recipe from my boyfriend's mom. I'm pretty sure she originally found it on Grouprecipes.com and edited it a bit. This dish is great with pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or any starch. I normally make it with a long-noodle pasta, your choice.

Photo courtesy of Grouprecipes.com

You'll need:
4 pork chops (about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick)
1 tablespoon oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced


Sauce:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons oil
4 tablespoons dry sherry, white
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Combine: oil, sherry, soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper in bowl.

Heat oil in pan and pork chops on both sides. Remove and set aside. Saute garlic and add the pork chops back to skillet along with sauce mixture. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Add water to keep sauce from cooking down too low. Turn pork chops once.

Remove pork chops and add cornstarch to thicken. Pour sauce over chops and starch and serve.




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Semi-Homemade Barbecue Sauce

It's so much easier to buy a bottle of barbecue sauce than it is to make it from scratch, especially with the variety and number of different brands out there. I decided to take a bottle of regular sauce and spice it up a bit to get the sweet and spicy flavors I was looking for.

You'll need:

1 (12 oz) bottle barbeque sauce

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup buffalo sauce (or you can use Tabasco or Texas Pete)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

salt, to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 

Serve on chicken, pulled pork, or refrigerate for later.